The same frustrating, if not alarming, things keep happening in big games for the UConn women's basketball team, and you have to begin to wonder if the Huskies can fix them in time to win a national championship this year.

Let's start with the premise that when you win 24 out of 26 games and the two losses are by a combined seven points to a pair of top two ranked teams in the country, there isn't exactly reason for panic. But when your goal each season is to win the national championship and you've lost in the semifinals in a similar fashion the last two years, there is cause for concern.

The Huskies are talented enough to win every game on their schedule. However, they may not possess the mental toughness to win the biggest games. They have too many players who don't have the confidence or the right competitive nature to make meaningful shots under pressure.

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis was spectacular with 26 points and 15 rebounds in Monday's

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76-70 loss to Baylor. Stefanie Dolson was very solid for the most part with 11 points, eight rebounds, five assists and a solid effort against Baylor All-American Brittney Griner. Morgan Tuck provided plenty of reason for encouragement with her steely effort of 11 points and five rebounds.

But that's not enough. Not if the team coughs up 18 turnovers when the opposition ratchets up the aggressiveness. Not when the opponent can focus on one or two players and cause the Huskies' offense to stall.

"We hit them in the mouth first, but we came up short," Mosqueda-Lewis said. "Once the other team turns up the volume, it seems like we don't recover from it. Unless we change our attitudes or something, we are just going to keep getting the same result in big games like this."

Kelly Faris scored nine points, but none over the final 12:34, during which she took only one shot. Caroline Doty missed all four wide open shots she took in 15 minutes of play in the first half, and as a result played only two minutes in the second half to finish scoreless.

Amazingly, the Huskies could still win big games with those two playing tentatively if Bria Hartley and Breanna Stewart overcome their lack of confidence.

From the point the Huskies led by seven over Baylor with 15:46 left Monday, Hartley scored only three points on two shots and had no assists. She was so ineffective, Auriemma actually took her out for 7:21 over that span. Stewart took only two shots the entire game with no points, rebounds or assists. She looked so out of sorts that she played only seven minutes.

Dolson and Mosqueda-Lewis are the only two who have played consistently well all season.

"Coach has been telling us for the longest time you guys can't change for a day or a week and think that that's going to fix everything," Mosqueda-Lewis said. "We have to make sure that it's a conscious effort every single day and listen to those who are trying to help you. Until then nothing's going to change.''

All the pieces are there to fix UConn's problems. They need one more perimeter scoring threat to emerge, and Hartley can provide that. Over the final six weeks, they need one more post player to impact games, and both Stewart and Tuck have the ability to score easy baskets that relieve a ton of pressure and help limit turnovers.

"It can be changed,'' Mosqueda-Lewis said. "But it's going to take something within everybody individually. Once everyone decides individually that they want to be a part of the team … Everybody wants this team to do great. Everybody knows this team can be great. But we all just got to work together every single day.''

The alternative is losing frustrating games they know they can win.

Against Notre Dame, they had a five-point lead with the ball twice, the last time midway through the second half. They still had the lead by a point with the ball with a minute to play. And even after falling behind by a point, they had three shots in the final 29 seconds but failed to win the game.

Against Baylor, they had an 11-point lead in the first half and didn't trail the first 20:49 of play. The game ultimately had 11 lead changes, but the Huskies had a huge opportunity to take control of the game early in the second half with a seven-point lead and the ball.

A flagrant foul by Griner allowed the Huskies to take a 41-34 lead with possession of the ball with 15:46 to play. Rather than get rattled, Baylor got aggressive and the Huskies backed down. By the seven-minute mark, the Lady Bears were up by seven, 63-56, and UConn never got closer than two points again.

"We could have easily won this game," Auriemma said. "As individuals, we are not good enough to beat this team. It has to be a collective effort like it was the first 15 minutes. It has to be our team against their team, and that kind of went away in the second half."

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